A Novel Intelligent ELM-BBO Technique for Predicting Distance of Mine Blasting-Induced Flyrock

Natural Resources Research - Blasting is an economical technique for rock breaking in hard rock excavation. One of its complex undesired environmental effects is flyrock, which may result in human...     

Sedimentary Basin Analysis and Petroleum Potential of the Cretaceous Yuchon Group In Haenam Depression, SW Korea

The Yuchon Group in the Late Cretaceous of Haenam and Mokpo area on the southwest coast of Korea peninsula can be divided into two Formations: (1) the intermediate volcanic Formation (Hwawon Formation), about 500m thick, (2)the acidic volcanic Formation (Hwangsan Formation), about 400m thick in ascending order.The former comprises intermediate volcaniclastics interlayered with volcanic rocks, and red mudrock and tuffaceous sandstone indicating fluvial deposits. The latter is subdivided into the upper part (Hwangsan Tuff Member) consisting of subaerial pyroclastics and intercalated rhyolites, and the lower part (Byeongonri Member) including subaqueous volcaniclastics, lake deltaic sandstone and gravelstone, lacustrine black shale and limestone and chert, and lake turbidite sandstone.The Late Cretaceous basin including Haenam subbasin in southwest Korea was largely formed of extensional nonmarine depressions (volcano- tectonic) bounded by NE- SW sinistral fault system.The thermal maturation based on geochemical and mineralogical studies for the black shales and tuffaceous sandstones reached the late stage of oil generation zone or gas generation stage. It seems that black shales and limestones are fairly good as source rock. The porosity of potential reservoir sandstone and tuff ranges from 5 % to 11%, but their permeability except the fractured rocks is very low ( ＜1md) because of fine pore throats reduced by diagenetic cementation of tuffaceous sandstones. Numerous potential traps might have been formed by the later folding and faulting along with lateral facies change and abundant mudrocks and volcaniclastics should make excellent seals.     

Modelling the interaction of climate,forest ecosystem,and hydrology to estimate catchment dissolved organic carbon export

The potential for increased loads of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in streams and rivers is a concern for regulating the water quality in water supply watersheds. With increasing hydroclimatic variability related to global warming and shifts in forest ecosystem community and structure, understanding and predicting the magnitude and variability of watershed supply and transport of DOC over multiple time scales have become important research and management goals. In this study, we use a distributed process‐based ecohydrological model (Regional Hydro‐Ecological Simulation System [RHESSys]) to explore controls and predict streamflow DOC loads in Biscuit Brook. Biscuit Brook is a forested headwater catchment of the Neversink Reservoir, part of the New York City water supply system in the Catskill Mountains. Three different model structures of RHESSys were proposed to explore and evaluate hypotheses addressing how vegetation phenology and hydrologic connectivity between deep groundwater and riparian zones influence streamflow and DOC loads. Model results showed that incorporating dynamic phenology improved model agreement with measured streamflow in spring, summer, and fall and fall DOC concentration, compared with a static phenology. Additionally, the connectivity of deep groundwater flux through riparian zones with dynamic phenology improved streamflow and DOC flux in low flow conditions. Therefore, this study suggests the importance of inter‐annual vegetation phenology and the connectivity of deep groundwater drainage through riparian zones in the hydrology and stream DOC loading in this forested watershed and the ability of process‐based ecohydrological models to simulate these dynamics. The advantage of a process‐based modelling approach is specifically seen in the sensitivity to forest ecosystem dynamics and the interactions of hydroclimate variability with ecosystem processes controlling the supply and distribution of DOC. These models will be useful to evaluate different forest management approaches toward mitigating water quality concerns.     

Model development and calibration for the coupled thermal,hydraulic and mechanical phenomena of the bentonite

In the international DECOVALEX-THMC project, five research teams study the influence of thermal-hydro-mechanical (THM) coupling on the safety of a hypothetical geological repository for spent fuel. In order to improve the analyses, the teams calibrated their bentonite models with results from laboratory experiments, including swelling pressure tests, water uptake tests, thermally gradient tests, and the CEA mock-up THM experiment. This paper describes the mathematical models used by the teams, and compares the results of their calibrations with the experimental data.     

The Cenozoic on-shore basins of Northern Vietnam: Biostratigraphy,vertebrate and invertebrate faunas

A first account of paleontological data from three Cenozoic on-shore basins in Northern Vietnam, i.e. the Na Duong, Cao Bang, and Hang Mon basins, reveals a rich fossil fauna and flora of supposed Oligocene age, offering a great potential for taxonomic, paleoenvironmental, and paleobiogeographic studies. Two excavation campaigns unearthed well-preserved fossil remains of mammals, crocodiles, at least six turtle species, some 20 fish taxa, some other 20 mollusc species, and different plant remains. The majority of these taxa are regarded as new to science. However, close affinities to modern faunas of northern Southeast Asia demonstrate the importance of these fossils for an evaluation of the biological history of this modern biodiversity hot spot. Moreover, the fossil assemblages may help to disentangle the intricate Cenozoic tectonic evolution of Southeast Asia by application of paleobiogeographic modelling. Finally, the discovery of complex paleo-food-webs and the presence of several taxa indicative of certain ecological conditions provide a solid base for autecologic, synecologic and paleoclimatic studies. The potential biostratigraphic value of the macrofauna has to be demonstrated yet, as evolutionary concepts for most of the respective groups have not been proposed to date.     

Sediment mounds and other sedimentary features related to hydrate occurrences in a columnar seismic blanking zone of the Ulleung Basin, East Sea, Korea

A mound related to a cold vent in a columnar seismic blanking zone (CSBZ) was formed around site UBGH1-10 in the central Ulleung Basin (2077 m water depth), East Sea, Korea. The mound is 300–400 m wide and 2–3 m high according to multi-beam bathymetry, 2–7 kHz sub-bottom profiler data, and multi-channel reflection seismic data. Seafloor topography and characteristics were investigated using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) around site UBGH1-10, which is located near the northern part of the mound. The origin of the mound was investigated through lithology, mineralogy, hydrate occurrence, and sedimentary features using dive cores, piston cores, and a deep-drilling core. The CSBZ extends to ∼265 ms two-way traveltime (TWT) below the seafloor within a mass-transport deposit (MTD) unit. Gas hydrate was entirely contained 6–141 m below the seafloor (mbsf) within hemipelagic deposits intercalated with a fine-grained turbidite (HTD) unit, characteristically associated with high resistivity values at site UBGH1-10. The hydrate is commonly characterized by veins, nodules, and massive types, and is found within muddy sediments as a fracture-filling type. Methane has been produced by microbial reduction of CO₂, as indicated by C₁/C₂₊, δ¹³CCH4, and δD₄CH analyses. The bowl-shaped hydrate cap revealed at 20–45 ms TWT below the seafloor has very high resistivity and high salinity, suggesting rapid and recent gas hydrate formation. The origin of the sediment mound is interpreted as a topographic high formed by the expansion associated with the formation of the gas hydrate cap above the CSBZ. The lower sedimentation rate of the mound sediments may be due to local enhancement of bottom currents by topographic effects. In addition, no evidence of gas bubbles, chemosynthetic communities, or bacterial mats was observed in the mound, suggesting an inactive cold vent.     

Characteristics of groundwater in karstic region in northeastern Vietnam

The groundwater in the karst region of northeastern Vietnam is found in various structural zones such as the Ha Lang, Song Hien, Hon Gai, Song Lo, Song Gam, and Hoang Lien Son Zones, etc. Results from this study show that groundwater in this region is at different depths: ~120 m deep at Quang Ninh, ~100 m at Lang Son, ~80 m at Cao Bang (The most water-abundant depth observed at Cao Bang varies from 40 to 45 m) while it varies from 18–25 to 80 m deep at Quan Ba (Ha Giang), especially at Meo Vac (Ha Giang), where groundwater is observed at 700–800 m deep (equivalent to local base level of the Nho Que River). Overall, groundwater in the region is fresh with total minerals varying from 250 to 400 mg/l; except for the coastal area of Quang Ninh, where groundwater is characterized by much higher total minerals (M = 3–18 g/l) due to the mixing with the saline sea water. The chemistry of water in the region demonstrates that the water is mainly bicarbonate with a [HCO₃ ^?] concentration varying from 150 to 265 mg/l, pH is of 6.5–8.1, and its hardness is of 3.7–6.0 meq/l.     

Active fault segmentation and seismic hazard in Hoa-Binh reservoir, Vietnam

Based on remote sensing, geological data, geomorphologic analysis, and field observations, we determine the fault system which is a potential source of earthquakes in Hoa-Binh reservoir. It is the sub-meridian fault system composed of fault segments located in the central part of the eastern and western flanks of the Quaternary Hoa-Binh Graben: the Hoa-Binh 1 fault is east-dipping (75–80°), N-S trending, 4 km long, situated in the west of the Hoa-Binh Graben, and the Hoa-Binh 2 is a west-dipping (75–80°), N-S trending; 8.4 km long fault, situated in the east of the Hoa-Binh Graben. The slip rate of normal fault in Hoa-Binh hydropower dam was estimated at 0.3–1.1 mm/yr. The Maximum Credible Earthquake (MCE) and Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA) in the Hoa-Binh hydropower dam have been assessed. The estimated MCE of HB.1 and HB.2 is 5.6 and 6.1 respectively, and the maximum PGA at Hoa-Binh dam is 0.30 g and 0.40 g, respectively. The assessment of seismic hazard in Hoa-Binh reservoir is a typical example of seismic hazards of a large dam constructed in an area of low seismicity and lack of law of seismic attenuation.